Taylor Swift Biography & News

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Taylor Swift goes pop, releases "1989"

Taylor Swift may have made the move from country to pop, parting ways with members of her longtime band in the process, but her millions of fans didn't seem to mind the transition. Her fifth studio album, "1989," was released on October 27, 2014 driven by synths and drums all the way to the top of the charts.

The commercial response was one thing, but the critical response was just as sweet. TIME described it as a "paradigm shift," while Rolling Stone called it "feverishly emotional, wildly enthusiastic … "1989" sounds like Taylor Swift, even when it sounds like nothing she's ever tried before."

"1989" went on to sell some 1.287 million copies in its first week of U.S. release, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and making Swift the only act to release three albums that sold more than one million copies in a week. Her singles "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space" both climbed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and "1989" would go on to become the best-selling album of 2014, selling 3.66 million copies in only nine weeks.

Swift's 1989 World Tour will run from May to December 2015, and will visit the U.S., Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Holland, Japan and Australia. She has recently announced James Bay as one of the supporting act for shows in Germany at the Lanxess Arena (June 19 and 20) and at the Ziggo Dome in The Netherlands (June 21). Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy, who is also the main support for the North American dates of the tour, will be joining Swift in Ireland and the UK for the Glasgow, Manchester and Dublin concerts.

Taylor Swift back in the studio

It's the news Taylor Swift fans have been patiently waiting for since late 2012. Yes, the songstress is back in the studio.

Officially responding to the rumors, hints and little scraps of information that have already been making the Internet rounds for months, Swift's Big Machine label tweeted back on February 27 that she was "in the studio." The social media post sparked a flurry of retweets and comments from Swift's diehard fans, and came nearly two weeks after Swift herself posted a photo to Instagram of her drinking champagne and eating chocolates with Max Martin and Johan Schuster (Shellback) with the caption, "It's a studio Valentine's Day."

Swift reportedly began writing songs for her fifth studio album back in July 2013, and it's expected to released in the fourth quarter of 2014. Beyond workoing with Martin and Shellback again, Diane Warren and Ryan Tedder have also worked on the album, and Swift has expressed some interest in working with Sia Furler, Jack Antonoff and Imogen Heap.

Until the album release, you can hear new music from Swift as part of her contribution to the soundtrack of Harvey Weinstein's upcoming stage musical "Finding Neverland." It will stage at the American Repoertory Theater, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The musical has 22 songs, though it hasn't yet been revealed which one Swift will tackle, or if she's writing something new for the soundtrack.

In a blink-and-you-miss-her appearance, Swift (with dark hair!) can also be spotted in the trailer for the upcoming movie, "The Giver." The singer plays Rosemary in the film, which is an adaptation of the award-winning novel by Lois Lowry.

Swift has the whole world seeing 'Red' (Updated July 26, 2013)

Taylor Swift has the whole world seeing "Red" – as in, the tour currently sweeping the world with 58 shows in 45 cities. By the numbers it includes 14 songs, eight costume changes, two stages and one color. (Oh yeah … and thousands upon thousands of fans).

In case you missed the memo, music is finally back at the forefront of Taylor's mind following a hectic love life and whirlwind romances with everyone from John Mayer and Joe Jonas to Harry Styles. But the tabloid fodder has finally taken a back seat since her fourth studio album, "Red," was released in October 2012. She wrote nine of the album's sixteen songs alone, while serving as a co-writer on the last seven tracks.

Musically, 'Red' was a coming out party of sorts for Swift, who experiments with dubstep, dance pop and heartland rock more than she makes an attempt to keep any of her sound country. It prompted at least one critic to suggest Swift "stops pretending she's anything but a pop megastar." And her sales volume certainly suggests she is, with "Red" have sold 1.21 million copies in its first week, and over 5 million copies worldwide by May 2013.

The album's lead single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," became Swift's first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Three other cuts have come behind it: "Begin Again" (for country radio), and "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "22" (for pop and international audiences).

The North American leg of the "Red Tour" runs until September, and will visit stadiums across Australia in December. Some guests on the tour thus far have included Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, Nelly, B.o.B, Train and Neon Trees.

About Taylor Swift

How many people can say they grew up on a Christmas tree farm in small town Pennsylvania and ended up with six Grammy Awards by the age of 22? Probably only one -- and her name is Taylor Swift.

At the age of just 14, Taylor made the move to Nashville, Tennessee to chase her dream of becoming a country music artist. In 2006 she launched her self-titled debut album, with its lead single, "Tim McGraw" quickly becoming one of the most requested songs at radio stations around the country.

Riding more than 4 million in sales from her freshman project, Taylor had made the jump from unknown teen to superstar. She released her sophomore effort, "Fearless" in 2008 and followed it with "Speak Now" in 2010. The former sold more than 592,000 copies in its first week and has racked up more than 6 million in sales to date. The "Speak Now Tour" also became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time, consisting of more than 100 shows in 19 countries on 4 continents.

Continuing to straddle the line between country and pop, Swift proved she had moved on from the now infamous incident with Kanye West at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. At the 54th annual Grammy Awards, she walked away with Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance for her hit single 'Mean.' Performing the track at the awards show, Swift received a standing ovation for her rendition of the tune with the lyrics, "One day I'll be singing this at the Grammys...and all you're ever gonna be is mean."

Swift is currently working on her fourth studio album, which is set to release under the Big Machine label in fall 2012. Though details about the project are scarce, it is said to be centered on the themes of sadness and heartbreak. Swift herself has also gone on record as saying the tracks are, "Sad … if I'm being honest. (The album) is about moving on."

News

February 04, 2015

Taylor Swift: 'The 1989 World Tour' Setlist

Last month the reigning pop princess—and quite possibly undisputed one, after going platinum in record-setting time and defying the state of the music business—Taylor Swift announced her next tour, the much hyped The 1989 World Tour in promotion of the eponymous album that currently sits #1 for the 5th straight week. We covered the tour…

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Love her or hate her, right now it's all about Taylor Swift. The 24-year-old pop star is on top of her game, releasing her new album to a whopping 1.287 million sales in its first week. Of course, wit…